No. 18 TCU men’s basketball dominant in historic win over Central Arkansas

Guards+Mike+Miles+Jr.%2C+Damion+Baugh+and+forwards+Emanuel+Miller%2C+Chuck+OBannon+Jr.+prepare+for+starting+lineup+introductions+vs+Central+Arkansas+on+Dec.+28%2C+2022.+%28Photo+courtesy+of+GoFrogs.com%29

Guards Mike Miles Jr., Damion Baugh and forwards Emanuel Miller, Chuck O’Bannon Jr. prepare for starting lineup introductions vs Central Arkansas on Dec. 28, 2022. (Photo courtesy of GoFrogs.com)

By Sederick Oliver, Executive Editor, Image Magazine

No. 18 TCU men’s basketball (11-1) cruised to its largest win under head coach Jamie Dixon, a 103-57 victory over Central Arkansas Wednesday evening at Schollmaier Arena.

This victory marks the first time the Frogs scored 100 points this season, and extends their winning streak to nine.

“Quite a finish to non-conference [play], I thought we handled it well,” said Dixon.

Early in the season, the Frogs battled with injury which caused a variation of starting lineups and rotations that shifted from game to game.

Now healthy, TCU continues to gain momentum, resembling the highly-touted team that experts projected them to be.

Junior guard Mike Miles Jr. led the team in scoring once again with 21 points on only eight shot attempts, tying a career-best 11 free throw makes.

Reigning Big 12 Player of the Week senior forward Emanuel Miller continued his fine play, recording his first double-double of the season with 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting and game-high 10 rebounds.

This was Miller’s second consecutive 20-point game after a scoring 21 last week against Utah.

“It feels good – my teammates have trust in me, the coaches have trust in me, and I have trust in myself,” said Miller.

“It’s a good grove, I hope to keep it going and on to Texas Tech.”

Consistency is key, and TCU has been able to string together high-level performances ever since their lone loss against Northwestern State on Nov. 14.

Defense, scoring in transition and paint points have always been the Frogs’ calling card, but anything is possible with Miller and Miles Jr. playing at a high-level offensively.

TCU plays with such parity and motion on offense that every Horned Frog on the court is capable of scoring in double-figures, causing nightmares for defenses.

The assist numbers were off the charts with a season-high 28 dimes, the most since 2018.

Aside from Miles Jr. and Miller, who lead the team in scoring, each game presents a different combination of players who contribute offensively. This time around, senior guard Damion Baugh poured in 13 points, while sophomore forward JaKobe Coles and redshirt junior guard Shahada Wells each scored 12.

Already the nation’s leader in fast-break points, TCU put on a transition clinic, scoring a season-high 40 while holding UCA to zero.

“In the offseason all we preached was playing in transition, we’re an athletic, fast team that can get up the court and it showed,” said Miles Jr.

The Frogs played at a high-speed pace that seemed to tired the Bears.

“We’ve worked on it, we’ve emphasized it, I thought we could be a good running team and last year we got better as the year went on ,” said Dixon.

Defensively, the Frogs were locked in as usual, causing Central Arkansas to shoot 20-of-69 (29%) from the field.

The Bears also had a difficult time taking care of the ball resulting in 18 turnovers, which led to 29 TCU points.

This defensive intensity will be paramount as the Frogs take on a red-hot Texas Tech Red Raiders team (10-2) who have won six straight.

Fresh off three consecutive victories scoring 100 or more, the Red Raiders are in a rhythm offensively, averaging 82 points on 51% from the field per game.

Big 12 Conference Play will begin Saturday, Dec. 31 at Schollmaier Arena. Tipoff is at 11 a.m. on ESPNU.